Russia has a right to protect interests, citizens in Crimea (Your View)

Demonstrators against Russian military actions in Ukraine rally in Times Square, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in New York. Western powers are prepared "to go to the hilt" to isolate Russia for its military incursion into Ukraine, "an incredible act of aggression" that may lead to visa bans, asset freezes, trade and investment penalties, and a boycott of a Russian-hosted economic summit of global powers in June, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

We Americans have a weak memory or possibly choose to conveniently not to acknowledge that the U.S. is as guilty as sin of the same behavior that we are criticizing Russia for as they moved into parts of the Ukraine this week.

What he is doing has been done dozens of times by the U.S. over the years since 1915 when the U.S. sent troops to Haiti. Again in 1965, President Johnson dispatched 82nd Airborne troops to the Dominican Republic. We all recall our "invasion of Granada" engaging Cuban Army troops over about 10 days resulting in a total of 44 dead on both sides. On every occasion we claimed protection of U.S. citizens and sovereignty.

We always claimed out actions were grounded in the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which stated emphatically any move into the western hemisphere-North or South America by a foreign power, would be considered an act of aggression by the U.S. and would be met with force!

There is a second clause in the Monroe Doctrine rarely if ever brought into the debate by historians, politicians and the media. President Monroe and Secretary of State John Q. Adams also agreed in the document that the United States would not interfere or meddle in [other nation's affairs] specifically European affairs! That assertion applied then just as as it does today when President Obama and fellow politician's continue to stick their nose into Russian and Ukrainian affairs.

Can we not practice what we have been preaching for the past 191 years?

I believe Mr. Putin should tell Obama to tend to his own house and stay out of their affairs. Simply stated, "what's good for the goose is good for the gander"!